Do you enjoy being the first to know what’s going on? Are you sick of fake news? Would you like to be a part of a group that offers opportunities to grow your skills and enhances your resume in a fun atmosphere? If you said yes to any of these questions, consider joining the award-winning Schoolcraft Connection student newspaper.
The Connection is searching for talented, dedicated students to join its staff for 2021-22 that can help expand the team’s storytelling on and around campus.You don’t have to be a journalism major to join. All majors are encouraged to apply. Available positions include: Managing Editor, Campus Life Editor, Sports Editor, Photo Editor, Layout and Design Editor, Social Media Manager, Staff Writers, Photographers and Videographers
All students must fulfill the following mandatory requirements before being eligible to work for the newspaper:

• Schoolcraft College cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher (incoming students will be accepted on a probationary period through the fall semester)
• Be currently enrolled for 6+ credit hours for the Fall and Winter semesters
• Must meet standard academic progress with an academic completion rate of 67% or higher (does not apply to new students)
• Must have completed less than 90 credit hours

Managing Editor

Time Commitment: 15 hour per week
Compensation: $10/hr and $1,100 scholarship per semester ($2,200 per academic year) renewable upon successful evaluation at the end of the Fall semester.
The Managing Editor is second-in-command of the Connection after the Editor-In-Chief. They ensure that the rest of the team is on track to finish assignments prior to due dates. They edit each story for content before passing it on to the Editor-In-Chief. They also assist with training new staff. This can include formatting, grammar, writing, editing, fact checking, creating titles and AP style rules of the paper. With this in mind, a Managing Editor should be well-versed in the inner workings of the publication with knowledge of writing, editing and photography as well as leadership and management skills.

Campus Life Editor

Time Commitment: 10 hours per week; flexible hours; office hours to be posted and adhered to.
Compensation: $1,100 scholarship per semester ($2,200 per academic year) renewable upon successful evaluation at the end of the Fall semester.
The Campus Life Editor is in charge of cataloguing different student activities and events that occur on campus. This can include club events, profiles, features, personality profiles, awards, webinars, seminars, lectures, debates and more. On top of this, the Campus Life Editor posts This Week in Campus Life to the Schoolcraft Connection website which gives a brief explanation of upcoming events on campus each week published on Monday mornings.
To maintain this structure, the Campus Life Editor must keep close contact with all student activities clubs, student leaders and become familiar with college departments so that upcoming events can be publicized. They are also in charge of the Campus Life section of the print paper and website. They are responsible for what goes into this section and edit all the content that meets this standard. Because of this, being able to lead and manage are important skills to have in this position.

Sports Editor

Time Commitment: 10 hours per week; flexible hours; Office hours to be posted and adhered to.
Compensation: $1,100 scholarship per semester ($2,200 per academic year) renewable upon
successful evaluation at the end of the Fall semester.
A Sports Editor stays true to their namesake by covering all athletic events that occur on campus. This includes seven sports and eleven teams ( baseball, mens and women’s basketball, mens and women’s bowling, mens and women’s soccer, softball, volleyball and mens and women’s cross country).
This wide range of activities means the Sports Editor should have working knowledge of all aspects of sports. They should stay in contact with all teams and cover updates as they develop. They are also responsible for the content of the sports section online and in print as well as making sure stories are edited according to AP style and grammar.. Because of this, good leadership and management are important traits to have in this position much like the Campus Life Editor.

Photo Editor

Time Commitment: 10 hours per week; flexible hours; Office hours to be posted and adhered to.
Compensation: $1,100 scholarship ($2,200 total for Fall/Winter Semesters-renewable upon successful performance review at the end of the Fall semester)
Photo Editors are in charge of all photographic content on the Schoolcraft Connection website and print newspaper. Most stories include some kind of visual aid and it is the Photo Editor’s job to ensure that these images meet the standards of the publication. This can include the process of creating, selecting, editing, positioning and publishing photos. A strong knowledge of camera operations, photography styles and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop) is needed to accomplish this effectively.
This position also requires the ability to manage staff photographers to ensure that deadlines are met on time and without error, much like Campus Life and Sports Editors, leadership and management skills are pivotal.

Social Media Manager

Time Commitment: 10 hours per week; flexible hours; Office hours to be posted and adhered to.
Compensation: $500 scholarship per semester ($1,000 per academic year) renewable upon successful evaluation at the end of the Fall semester.
A Social Media Manager manages all aspects of the Schoolcraft Connection online and social presence, utilizing Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. A person in this position ensures that each account is active on a regular basis by keeping followers up to date with current stories, events and interviews written by staff. In addition, they will maintain and expand the accounts viewerships by interacting with followers. A person qualified for this position has experience and a general understanding of social media. They must possess the ability to post breaking news updates and provide the appropriate messaging of the content reported on the platform. This will spur interest and foster a closer community.

Layout and Design Editor

Time Commitment: 20 hours per week; flexible hours; Office hours to be posted and adhered to.
Compensation: $10/hr and $1,100 scholarship per semester ($2,200 per academic year) renewable upon successful evaluation at the end of the Fall semester.
A Layout and Design Editor oversees and manages the look and feel of the Schoolcraft Connection printed publication and graphics utilized on the website to accompany content online. The Layout and Design Editor will work alongside the Editor-in-Chief on the placement of content and design of the publication. They are arranged in a compelling and easily-digestible nature that remains easily readable and aesthetically pleasing. In addition, they ensure that the website content is up to date and all formatting of content is clean and concise.
A qualified Layout and Design Editor should demonstrate a good understanding of Adobe Creative Suite especially InDesign. They should also have experience working under tight deadlines. Students interested in this position should have a portfolio available that demonstrates their work experience upon interview.

Staff Writer/Photographer/Videographers

Time Commitment: Time commitment may vary based on assignment
Compensation: $20 stipend per published article or assignment
Staff writers, photographers and videographer positions provide opportunities for any student looking to contribute but don’t necessarily have the time commitment required like the editor positions have. Staff writers have the ability to write for any section (news, campus life, sports, arts and entertainment and opinions) about topics that interest them. They can freely move between each section to learn how to effectively write for each type of section. Staff writers will work alongside section editors and get mentored by them to better understand AP Style and story telling.
Staff photographers follow a similar structure as Staff Writers. Under the direction of the Photo Editor, they will attend events or schedule meetings to photograph the subjects of articles. Idealling staff photographers should be familiar with Adobe Creative Suite and understand how to crop and compose images.
Staffers can pick up assignments whenever they’d like. There’s no commitment until you pick one up. As a new staffer, you will be limited to one assignment at a time until you’ve demonstrated the ability to hit deadlines and fulfill the requirements of the assignments.

The Schoolcraft Connection has served the community for over 30 years with the ultimate goal of keeping the campus community connected to important stories happening in and around the community. This is done in many ways, but it can’t be done alone. There are a range of different skills used to keep the website and print paper operating to the highest standards and individuals who would like to gain experience in this field are urged to apply.
Those looking to work cooperatively with a team by creating content for the community can do so with the Schoolcraft Connection.

To get involved with the paper, call the Student Activities Office at 734-462-4422, email at [email protected], or visit the Student Activities Office located in the Lower Waterman of the VisTaTech Center.